Dominion of Rubrum
The Dominion of Rubrum is a country where the Peristylium Suzaku Magic Academy is located in Final Fantasy Type-0. Its capital is Arkham. The Milites Empire, where the Byakko Peristylium is located, is its neighbor. The nation is governed by a group of eight who also lead the Peristylium. Khalia Chival VI is head of the state. Attendees at the Peristylium are selected by the crystal for their magic ability, and following entrance exams are split into appropriate classes. The main characters in the game are students at the Peristylium, or magic school, in the region of Rubrum. In the game, Rubrum comes under attack from neighboring Milites, sending the students of Suzaku into action. Location and Weather Suzaku is located at south to south-west of the Orience map. It typically exhibits traits that of a South East Asian country, spotting hot weather and occasionally heavy misty rains that cover the sight of the players. Its plains are roamed by various monsters such as Aqua Pudding and Bombs to name a few. Dual Horns are also known to roam around the plains, attacking players on sight although its numbers are slightly minimal than those encountered in the desert. Towns and Education Towns within the Suzaku continent are a fusion of the futuristic cities in Byakko and the traditional Concordia, displaying a very Victorian-esque style to it yet still with a slight touch of futurism. The entrance in each town are guarded by Suzaku soldiers, as a means of security. The civilians are often seen donning in simple village clothing. Suzaku's only academic institution is the Peristylium Suzaku where students of all ages are enrolled by their parents to learn about combat and magic. Additionally, the Peristylium also doubles up as a military base, training both military cadets and soldiers. Upon completion in their studies, students have the choice of furthering their studies as a Military Cadet, progressing in to a soldier to serve their country. With enough experience in war, these soldiers are then promoted in Cadet Commanders, who train cadets and take an active role by leading their soldiers to victory in war. Alternatively, they may choose to be instructors for the juniors. Linguistics and Language The language of Suzaku appears to be a mix of British English, Chinese, and Japanese dialects. Names also appear to have different uses of these dialects, as towns are majorly given English names, with Chinese and Japanese reserved for citizens (Khalia Chival IV being an exception). Technology While not displaying any usage of advanced technology like its enemy counterpart, Suzaku has shown capable of utilizing simple teleportation machines, particularly in the Peristylium where students are able to teleport in and out from anywhere. These machines seem to be powered by the Suzaku crystal, which serves as their main source of obtaining current. Having received a mixture of influence from the Byakko Peristylium and Kingdom of Concordia, Suzaku's field of Weaponry Research and Development has managed to invent their own respective weapons and firearms. Military During combat, Suzaku soldiers are typically covered in cloaks as means of concealing their identity, their bodies are covered with plated armor and greaves from top to bottom. Female soldiers generally wear stockings that reach their thighs whereas male soldiers are normally seen wearing long pants. Although the armies are small in number and are not as advanced nor refined as the Milites or the Concordian armies, Suzaku soldiers are by no means, a weak force and should never be tempered with. Suzaku soldiers, like the Milites, possess a strong will and patriotism for the country, which is one of the factors that make Suzaku a force to be reckon with. Suzaku's lack of manpower and minimal firearms are made up with the sheer power of magic and summons that the crystal bestows. Despite the creation of guns in Suzaku, soldiers prefer cold weapons such as the sword being their weapon of choice in contrast to the Milites, although their proficiency with weapons are not only restricted to that. There are those who chose to utilize firearms such Cater and King from Class Zero. Many, however choose to fight through the usage of magic, which gives them greater mobility in war. The military's standard war god is Bahamut which is commonly seen throughout the game, are capable of taking down airborne enemies through a strong burst of Mega Salvo although they are still susceptible towards damage and can easily be incapacitated. Because of the energy blessed by Suzaku crystal reduces along with one's aging up, it's necessary to enroll Peristylium students to military. Although cadets and students are capable of fighting for their country and are often seen as powerful force in certain missions, as a general rule, they are not called to arms unless the soldiers are severely outnumbered and required to assist them to provide defense for the citizens. Khalia Chival VI once stated that while the students are willing to die for the country, he tries not to put them at risk, going as far as considering unethical means to defeat their enemy. Suzaku and Lorica are the only countries to not utilize creatures like Byakko or Concordia to do their bidding in war. While chocobos have displayed the capability to take down enemies, they serve more as a mobility purpose in combat. Suzaku does contain several combat airships, although like the chocobos, are instead, meant for the purpose of logistics. Transportation Suzaku's main transports are simple. Their transports include airships and chocobos that are bred in a ranch that is separated from the Peristylium. Airships are used to carry a big amount of soldiers in one shot, allowing them to raid Byakko military bases more easily. Some soldiers tend to ride their chocobos to war. Despite the great convenience in transportation, many soldiers prefer to travel on foot. l'Cie Suzaku's l'Cie are generally selected and chosen by the crystal. Although there has been many chosen l'Cie in the past, most of them were either killed or forced into Crystal Stasis during the wars. Therefore, many of them were not revealed or replaced by another l'Cie. Currently, there are two known l'Cie in Suzaku. *Caetuna: Type-B l'Cie, specializes in summoning, the oldest l'Cie currently in Orience. *Zhuyu Voghfau Byot: Type-A l'Cie, a combat specialist who can freely wield fire and uses an axe in battle. Gallery Etymology "Rubrum" is Latin for "(the) red". Suzaku is the Japanese name for one of the four symbols of the Chinese constellations, the . Trivia The country's attributes and qualities, as well as symbolism to one of the animals of the Four Symbols is evident in its themes. *Representing the south, the nation is situated in a southern most region of Orience. *Representing the season of Summer, the nation boasts a constant subtropical humid climate with little evidence of snow. *Aligned with the Wu Xing element of Fire, the element has always been regarded as a divine and/or supernatural force, and because of this, is regarded as mystical and revered. The Suzaku Crystal bestowing upon the Power of Magic to manipulate nature's forces at will, allows its users to gain mythical control to this element central to all of civilization. *Its animal the Fenghuang, the Phoenix takes its place. The animal, in Chinese symbolism, represents purity, virtuous character, prosperity, and bears all five colors of the Wu Xing, representing unity and order. In addition, the animal also represents heavenly power bestowed to the empress, likely hinting to Arecia Al-Rashia's true identity and role. *The color red is an auspicious color in East Asian cultures. In addition, Japanese literary themes also signifies protagonists or heroic and brave qualities through the color. Category:Final Fantasy Type-0 Locations